Despite a loss, Elena Bosgana proves she is the star that Stanford basketball needs

Once again, the Cardinal fell short of a victory, but a valiant effort from Elena Bosgana provides hope that she can the new face of the program.

Jan 13, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Gabriela Jaquez (23) beats Stanford Cardinal guard Elena Bosgana (20) to a rebound in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The first road trip as a member of the ACC did not go as planned for the Stanford Cardinal as they dropped consecutive games to SMU and Clemson, losing to the latter 65-61 in overtime on Sunday in South Carolina.

The two losses now have the Cardinal sitting at 8-6 (0-3 ACC) to start off this campaign and facing a steep battle towards getting back into tournament contention. With the departures of players such as Cameron Brink and Kiki Iriafen combined with having a new head coach, the Cardinal have had to figure out a new identity for themselves.

But one major bright spot for the new-look Cardinal this season has been the meteoric rise of senior guard Elena Bosgana. Currently averaging 13.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists, Bosgana has put together her best campaign thus far and although she played a big part last year as a junior, starting all 36 games, she has stepped up and become much more of a floor general and has made up for the lost production that came with the departures of Brink and Iriafen.

It also helps that she comes with a lot of experience in the Cardinal system, spending her first two seasons coming off the bench and was a part of the Final Four team from 2022.

The last month in particular have seen Bosgana really shine, recording double-doubles in three of her last four games played, including putting together a 15 point, 12 rebound game in the loss to Clemson and finished as Stanford's second leading scorer.

But it was her performance against UCSD at the end of November that has really set the tone for her latest run of success. In the 84-54 win against the Tritons, she scored a season best of 26 points while shooting 5-for-5 from three point range.

Through the first 14 games of the season, Bosgana has been exceptional on the defensive end as well. Her 6.6 rebounds per game is the highest total of her college career and she has really been able to use her 6'2" size to her advantage, using her larger stature for a guard to become one of Stanford's most complete players.

Against No. 11 ranked Ohio State, which boasts one of the nation's best offenses in the country and is undefeated, Bosgana tied her second highest rebound total of the season with 11, and was key in holding the Buckeyes highest scorer to only 16 points.

This season has proven to be a challenge for the Cardinal and while it may not be their year for dominance, they at least know that they have a player like Bosgana who is more than capable of stepping up when it matters the most.